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Little brother Vontae Davis needs to grow up, just as Vernon has in SF

It made for an interesting contrast when tight end Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers came to South Florida for the 2010 Pro Bowl a couple of years back. Davis, of course, is the big brother – in more ways than one – of Vontae Davis, the Dolphins’ first-round pick in 2009 who this week was shipped off to Indianapolis for second- and sixth-round picks in next year’s draft.

A sculpted 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds, Vernon Davis exhibited a calmness and maturity that, truth be told, brother Vontae, four years his junior, has never been able to master. Of course, Vernon might have former 49ers’ coach Mike Singletary to thank for that.

It was just over a year earlier, in October 2008, that Singletary got tired of Vernon’s me-first attitude and ordered him off the field in the middle of a game. That was the low point for Vernon, who learned his lesson and straightened himself out to the point where he earned the praise of many, including Singletary, a short time later, and played a big role in the 49ers’ playoff run last season.

Vernon spoke about his relationship with Vontae that day and made a prediction: “He’ll be here (in the Pro Bowl) next year.” When that message was relayed to Vontae a short time later, his response was, “That’s the plan.”

Instead, Vontae seems to have regressed into a young Vernon. Last season, after telling reporters in training camp that he and Sean Smith were just as good as the New York Jets’ duo of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, he was dressed down by Brandon Marshall for showing up to a practice allegedly with alcohol on his breath and was left off the active roster for one game. This year he was a focus of the first episode of Hard Knocks, when defensive backs coach Lou Anarumo ripped into him for reporting out of shape and coach Joe Philbin wondered why he couldn’t get through a 90-minute practice without a bathroom break.

Vontae was perceived in the Dolphin locker room as something of an enigma. His smile can light up a room, but he’s also often moody and tends to keep to himself if he’s not playing well. He has often spoken about the frequent phone conversations he has with his brother, but being 3,000 miles apart has made it difficult for the two to stay as close as they would like.

Vontae and Vernon were both raised in Washington, D.C., by their grandmother, which seemed to create an interesting dynamic in their relationship. Being without a father, Vontae relied on Vernon to show him the way. Vernon would have left for college when Vontae was 14, which is probably when life starting getting more difficult. Just as Vernon didn’t take full responsibility for himself until Singletary told the world about his immaturity, Vontae seems yet to have reached that point. If something clicks and he makes that leap, the Colts will be the benefactors.

One last thought: When the 2009 draft came along, the Dolphins had two glaring needs on defense: outside linebacker and cornerback. Davis was there when the 25th pick came up, but so was a Southern Cal linebacker by the name of Clay Matthews. The Dolphins, of course, picked Davis, and Matthews went to Green Bay on the next pick. Matthews, of course, was runnerup for Defensive Player of the Year in 2010.

The one defense for Jeff Ireland was the fact he had signed a guy by the name of Cam Wake three months earlier, who became a pretty good outside linebacker in his own right. But the need was still there a year later, when Ireland picked Koa Misi in the second round. In retrospect, Wake and Matthews would have been a pretty good duo.

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[…] Brian Biggane of The Palm Beach Post talks about the interesting comparison between former Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis and his brother, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis. Both had maturity issues at an early point in their career. […]